Photographs and old forty-fives Stowed beneath a homecoming gown Pictures of me at sweet sixteen But everything's not as it seems In my mother's house When I go home for holidays There's so much to talk about And sometimes we disagree On politics and theology In my mother's house The chimes in the hall sound every hour The sun and moon go 'round Time flies by and fades like the flower And I can't slow it down I spend my days with music and words Playing these songs from town to town And everyone sees what they want to see But I'm just the girl who used to sing In my mother's house I am a prodigal daughter But in my wandering I have found There is a wideness in mercy And there'll always be a place for me In my mother's house